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The P-Mount owners club

I'm running 2 SL-10s and an SL-5. Starting out, I wanted a turntable to replace the one I got from my dad, a B & O that needed a new cartridge. I didn't want to invest that much into the table, and the first good deal I found was on an SL-5. My linear tracking, T4P journey was born! Of the below, my favorites are the 310MC, Stanton L737S, ADC Integra XT, and AT312EP. Honorable mentions to Shure M110HE, Empire 485LT, and AT152LP with MLX Stylus. List:

1st Gen Audio Technica:
AT404EP: Aftermarket Elliptical
AT122LP: Jico Shibata

1st Gen Audio Technica, Para Toroidal Coil:
AT132EP: OEM Stylus and ATN-150Sa (nude shibata)
AT152LP x 2: OEM Stylus and ATN-150MLX (boron canti nude microline)

3rd gen Audio Technica:
AT3472; .6 conical, Aftermarket nude microline
AT Series VIII

ADC
Integra XT: XT-I Stylus (conical), XT-II (nude .3 x .7), XLM II (diasa elliptical), XLM III (nude .2 x .7)
ADC PSX (silver and gold bodies): conical, nude .3 x .7, titanium cantilever nude .2 x .7

Stanton L 737s; stereohedron
Pickering TL-2

Technics P22 w/ Jico SAS
Technics EPC-P510S
Technics EPC-P80RS
Technics EPC-P80YS

Empire 485LT; OEM Stylus
AZDEN YM-P50C; OEM Conical and Aftermarket Shibata

Ortofon OMP10; .3 x .7 and Nude Jico Elliptical
Shure M92e
Shure M110HE; OEM Stylus

MC Carts:
EPC-310MC
AT312EP; nude .3 x .7
 
Robergé said:
I'm running 2 SL-10s and an SL-5. Starting out, I wanted a turntable to replace the one I got from my dad, a B & O that needed a new cartridge. I didn't want to invest that much into the table, and the first good deal I found was on an SL-5. My linear tracking, T4P journey was born! Of the below, my favorites are the 310MC, Stanton L737S, ADC Integra XT, and AT312EP. Honorable mentions to Shure M110HE, Empire 485LT, and AT152LP with MLX Stylus. List:

1st Gen Audio Technica:
AT404EP: Aftermarket Elliptical
AT122LP: Jico Shibata

1st Gen Audio Technica, Para Toroidal Coil:
AT132EP: OEM Stylus and ATN-150Sa (nude shibata)
AT152LP x 2: OEM Stylus and ATN-150MLX (boron canti nude microline)

3rd gen Audio Technica:
AT3472; .6 conical, Aftermarket nude microline
AT Series VIII

ADC
Integra XT: XT-I Stylus (conical), XT-II (nude .3 x .7), XLM II (diasa elliptical), XLM III (nude .2 x .7)
ADC PSX (silver and gold bodies): conical, nude .3 x .7, titanium cantilever nude .2 x .7

Stanton L 737s; stereohedron
Pickering TL-2

Technics P22 w/ Jico SAS
Technics EPC-P510S
Technics EPC-P80RS
Technics EPC-P80YS

Empire 485LT; OEM Stylus
AZDEN YM-P50C; OEM Conical and Aftermarket Shibata

Ortofon OMP10; .3 x .7 and Nude Jico Elliptical
Shure M92e
Shure M110HE; OEM Stylus

MC Carts:
EPC-310MC
AT312EP; nude .3 x .7
Click to expand...

Have any favorites or any other listening observations?
 
cgallery said:
Have any favorites or any other listening observations?
Click to expand...
My favorites are the 310MC, Stanton L737S, ADC Integra XT, and AT312EP. Honorable mentions to Shure M110HE, Empire 485LT, and AT152LP with MLX Stylus.

Higher Detail, non fatiguing: 310MC, L737S, Integra XT. Integra XT is my favorite MM cart. It has a really strong center image, which is important to me as I like a singers voice to be coming from a single point, making it sound real. I don't have anything to say about the 310MC that hasn't already been said. Best soundstage of all my carts. L737S is the p-mount version of the 681. Very good all-rounder, produces the most bass of all my carts.

High Detail, fatiguing: AT312EP (most dynamic cart I own), AT152LP (relatively weak center image, very detailed)

Lower Detail Good All-Rounder: Empire 485LT
Lower Detail Non-Fatiguing: Shire M110HE
 
Robergé said:
My favorites are the 310MC, Stanton L737S, ADC Integra XT, and AT312EP. Honorable mentions to Shure M110HE, Empire 485LT, and AT152LP with MLX Stylus.

Higher Detail, non fatiguing: 310MC, L737S, Integra XT. Integra XT is my favorite MM cart. It has a really strong center image, which is important to me as I like a singers voice to be coming from a single point, making it sound real. I don't have anything to say about the 310MC that hasn't already been said. Best soundstage of all my carts. L737S is the p-mount version of the 681. Very good all-rounder, produces the most bass of all my carts.

High Detail, fatiguing: AT312EP (most dynamic cart I own), AT152LP (relatively weak center image, very detailed)

Lower Detail Good All-Rounder: Empire 485LT
Lower Detail Non-Fatiguing: Shire M110HE
Click to expand...
I have most of the cartridges you list, and have similar opinion of them.

The AT312EP stylus can be replaced with a ATN312HEP, high output, which I find has the similar high detail as the low output EP version but without the fatigue. The 312HEP is my favorite P-Mount overall.
 
From the TP4 cartridge list I read that there are few owners of Grado cartridges....do they have problems, do they sound bad or are they detestables?
 
I love my Grado headphones, but have hated every Grado cartridge I've had. Bloated and indistinct bass, bad soundstage, dull highs. Just my IMO, and I think some folks like them so maybe I've just been unlucky.
 
best-groove said:
From the TP4 cartridge list I read that there are few owners of Grado cartridges....do they have problems, do they sound bad or are they detestables?
Click to expand...
The latest prestige series (perhaps all of them) do not meet the T4P standard. For example, a T4P cart is supposed to weigh 6 grams, and the Prestige 3s weigh 5.5 grams. T4P tracks at 1.25, Prestige 3 tracks at 1.5. I can't make up for these differences on my Technics linear trackers so I've never tried them, and I think this is a pretty common POV.
 
Robergé said:
I'm running 2 SL-10s and an SL-5. Starting out, I wanted a turntable to replace the one I got from my dad, a B & O that needed a new cartridge. I didn't want to invest that much into the table, and the first good deal I found was on an SL-5. My linear tracking, T4P journey was born! Of the below, my favorites are the 310MC, Stanton L737S, ADC Integra XT, and AT312EP. Honorable mentions to Shure M110HE, Empire 485LT, and AT152LP with MLX Stylus. List:

1st Gen Audio Technica:
AT404EP: Aftermarket Elliptical
AT122LP: Jico Shibata

1st Gen Audio Technica, Para Toroidal Coil:
AT132EP: OEM Stylus and ATN-150Sa (nude shibata)
AT152LP x 2: OEM Stylus and ATN-150MLX (boron canti nude microline)

3rd gen Audio Technica:
AT3472; .6 conical, Aftermarket nude microline
AT Series VIII

ADC
Integra XT: XT-I Stylus (conical), XT-II (nude .3 x .7), XLM II (diasa elliptical), XLM III (nude .2 x .7)
ADC PSX (silver and gold bodies): conical, nude .3 x .7, titanium cantilever nude .2 x .7

Stanton L 737s; stereohedron
Pickering TL-2

Technics P22 w/ Jico SAS
Technics EPC-P510S
Technics EPC-P80RS
Technics EPC-P80YS

Empire 485LT; OEM Stylus
AZDEN YM-P50C; OEM Conical and Aftermarket Shibata

Ortofon OMP10; .3 x .7 and Nude Jico Elliptical
Shure M92e
Shure M110HE; OEM Stylus

MC Carts:
EPC-310MC
AT312EP; nude .3 x .7
Click to expand...
I have an SL 10 bought second hand and when I received it, it was missing the screw that holds the capsule to the arm. I complained and they sent me a screw that, although it fits, does not seem to be the original. Does its weight have some influence if it is not the original screw?.
If it has a different weight.
How can you measure the weight that the needle is actually exerting on the record? I have a scale, but I don't know how to do it with this type of arm.
 
jorge 2 said:
I have an SL 10 bought second hand and when I received it, it was missing the screw that holds the capsule to the arm. I complained and they sent me a screw that, although it fits, does not seem to be the original. Does its weight have some influence if it is not the original screw?.
If it has a different weight.
How can you measure the weight that the needle is actually exerting on the record? I have a scale, but I don't know how to do it with this type of arm.
Click to expand...
You can use a digital scale.
 
RayParkhurst said:
It's not so easy with a clamshell LT.
Click to expand...
True, but it can be done.

When I switched to a VMN40ML on the AT132 cartridge, I wanted to verify the VTF was in the VMN40ML's range.

I tried several of the "tricks" on the web, but those pesky Technics engineers seemed to have accounted for those and no matter what I tried, I could not get the tone arm to stay cued down with the table powered off. I needed it powered off in order to place the stylus scale on the platter.

I finally did a cad design for a special "clip" that holds the arm in the cued down position with power off and 3d printed it. What it essentially does is compress the "cued up" piston so the arm hangs freely.

Then it was a simple matter of scaling the stylus pressure. Was right at 2.0g range with 1.0g on the arm "weight" adjuster. The VMN40ML is listed as 1.8-2.2g VTF. Perfect.

So yeah, not easy, but possible.

;)
 
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My only T4P table is a Technics SL-QL15:

fr_5319.jpg

Bought a few months ago for 60 bucks at a local store. Needed a servicing (remove old grease, apply new) and it was good to go. Came with an AT132EP, but the stylus was just completely buggered.

It currently runs an Audio Technica AT132EP cart with an AT VMN40ML stylus. Wonderful sounding combo!

I also have a Stanton 737E with an unworn D73E stylus. That's a bonded elliptical:

profile 5 hrs copy.jpg

It's a nice smooth sounding cart. Goes nicely with "traditional" rock n roll.

The only other T4P I have is an AT85E.

profile 1 hr.jpg

Decent cart and it's a bonded elliptical like the Stanton. The 85E isn't in the same league as the 737 and certainly not the 132, but it does well enough considering how affordable they are new. It's a perfectly enjoyable cart.
 
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all my technics linear trackers have non-ferrous t4p cartridge screws with a combo flat/philips head, probably stainless steel. some have full threads; some have smooth captive gaps. i wouldn't worry about the weight unless you're using an aluminum screw. i've even tried adding weight to the stock screws with washers, but the difference is so negligible i don't even bother and use putty on the cart itself. my favorite screw is from a panasonic sl-3 clone that is metal, but has a plastic thumbscrew head so no tools needed.

i find the t4p 1.25g spec to be on the light side for most of the carts i like to run. i seem to get the best results in the 1.4 - 1.6 range. the earlier technics models with dynamically balanced tonearms have an adjustment screw that brings it up to around 1.5g; the later models with statically balanced arms are fixed.
 
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Jorge 2, stanwebber makes a good point. If you end up with a cartridge that requires 2g of tracking force, you could always add a small piece of Blue Tack to the end or the cart. Just weight out a piece of putty that comes in at .5g and stick it in place. I've done this with radial arm P-mounts but never thought of doing this to a linear arm.
 
measure the cart plus putty... not all carts strictly adhere to the 6g t4p spec. of course all this is assuming your tonearm is still exactly at 1.25g. i measured this once on an sl-j3, but it's such a pain in the ass to get the reading i just assume all my tables are close enough and let my ears do the judging when i add weight.
 
Given the difficulty in measuring the applied weight, could someone tell me the weight of the original SL 10 screw so I can compare it with mine, given that I can measure the weight of the screw.
 
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